The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-24
SAVAGE RACES.
VIII They Not BE Extcrminatcd by
Natural Lawss

VIII They Not BE Extcrminatcd by
Natural Lawsf
Speaking of the rate of savage pro.
gress, The London Spectator says: II
seems to us that modern cheerness has
slightly infected scientific men, and
that in eager hope to show that natural
science presages great future fol-
man they leave out of view some UNI
pleasant facts which initiate against
their theory. They take time into their
account at one point and not at anoth'
er. They will assert that the develop.
ment of man from monkey or a rep.
tile, or whatever is the latest theory
about his ancestors, must have occu.
pied cycles of centuries, and that cycle;
more past before man could use tools
or make fire; and then they expect, or
write as if they expected, another enor.
nous advance within trumpery peri
cd marked in recorded history-for ex-
ample, some two or three thousand
years. Whyp Where is the evidence
that the man Of the Niger would not
take million or so of years before he,
unassisted, attained to civilization, es.
pecially if nc passed through that Pc
riod of "arrestment' VIII CHI has certain,
ly struck some races, and tho duration
of which is as uncertain as the duration
of the worldp Scientific men are con.
scous of the greatest Of the maryolS
Of the universe, the astounding way in
which productive or creative energy is
wasted, generations of creatures per-
ishing uselessly before the creature TO
survive is born, and forests dacaying
that few trees may live; but they
seem unwilling TO expect such waste OF
men. Why notP Is it because of the
value of senticnt beings in the economy
of the universe? If humanity all per-
ished tomorrow through some vast ca.
lamity, say, by the emission from all vol
canic regions of some poisonous vapor
"a thing believed TO have occurred on
n minute scale-the loss would be far
less than the loss of babies which has
occurred since the beginning of the
world, and would be less indeed, than
the loss of stillborn children only. II
nature, or law, or providence, can af-
ford to waste human beings, even
Aryan beings, at that prodigious rate,
why should it not waste whole races OF
savages? 1t has wasted two within
quite Il short pcriod-the CARDS of Gu
ba and the Tasmaniaus and it is vast
ing two more gu tie visibly, the Austria.
lians of the mainland and the Maoris.
Why should il not waste the remainder.
'teaving the world altogether TO men of
some higher type, or other type, rs
has happened with some animals? We
do not see, we confess, though We wish
to see. why, on the scientific theory of
the universe, we should expect so much
progress in savages. or why Digger
Indian, say, should gradually advance
until he can count up to the number
which astronomers are accustomed 10
use. Why should he not perish. or 4
his vitality is strong, us is the case with
some negro tribes, why should he not
survive rs KIND of half-dcycloped
man? He has done SO for ages in Aus
tralia, and why should the ages end?
We can see a hope for him in the Chris
tlan theory, which assigns to the negro,
as in Newton, two lives, but on the
scientific one we see nothing for him,
if he remains unconquered and of I'M
conquered and unmixed blood except
a doubtful probability of advance at a
rate which the human mind can scarce
~ discern, and which, as factor in
history, it is even useless to consider
Judged by Christianity, the savage has
future; but judged by history and
science, the best thing that could hap
pen to him would be to disappear rs
rapidly as possible, aud make room for
the useful peoples, who two centuries
hence will have scarcely room tc
breathe.